The Post Office

I opened a Dutch bank account 2.5 weeks ago.

Oh how i wish i never bothered.

After queing in the 'pick a number line and wait your turn' for half an hour i was told i needed to queue at the information desk. So after another half an hour i opened my account and was told a letter would arrive with 2 weeks for me to collect my bank card. Super.

So, one week and 6 days later i am in town. I therefore decide to pop into the post office on the off chance that my card will be waiting for me. So i queue again for half an hour at the information desk. I give the lovely gentleman my information.

'Yes madam, your card was made yesterday'

'oh great, can i have it then?'

'no'

'erm.. ok.. why?'

'You need to have recieved the letter to tell you your bank card has arrived'

'well.. i know my bank card has arrived.. you just told me it has..'

And so on.. the conversation continued.. ok.. so i go home. Sure enough the letter is waiting for me on the door step.

So.. i go back the next day, i queue for yet another half hour, speak to the same man, only to find out this is the wrong letter. This letter gives me information about my bank card, and sure enough i need the letter to explain to me that my bank card has arrived at the bank, just incase i dont already know.

Yes, you guessed it, i get home and the letter is waiting for me on the door step.. yes,, the right letter this time.

So i go back the next day. The bloke that served me before isnt working today, so after another long wait i speak to the other guy who informs me i have just queued for a rediculously long time at the wrong counter and could i please pick a number and wait in line.

(Why, may i ask did the other bloke not think to say, 'Oh by the way miss, when you finally do come to get your bank card, with the correct letter, you need to pick a number.' Would that have been so hard?!)

So i pick a number.. i wait in line.. I'm told i'm at the wrong bank.

End of story.

Compliment?

One of my English students told me I sound like Lilly Allen.


As much as I like her music I am quite happy to sound nothing like her when I speak.

Guess this takes us back to the whole am I posh? Post.

Actually, i really dont care, and you shouldnt either.

The way we speak is part of who we are. If you would like to think me posh, go ahead. Likewise, if you would like to think of me as some common english bird, you are more than welcome to do so.. buyt I may put up a fight on that one..

Things that really nark me..

People walking along the bike lane... Can you not see theres a path right next to it? If it wasn't for the huge possibility of falling off my bike i would bash there ankels.

Leering men... Sleeze balls.

Running out of shampoo... Remind me check next time before I soak my hair.

Having no change for the strippen card machine... Seriously now.. make a note slot please.

Watching half a film... To find the other half has been scratched.

People who wear sandles with there toes hanging over the end... Your gross.. either buy bigger shoes or tell your feet to stop growing.

To be continued..

Window Cleaners

Just a thought..

I wonder how many people they have caught in the act?

Gross miscarriage of Justice

I guess this is kind of following on from my last post.

As I am sure many of you know, several years back a little boy was taken from his Mother at a local supermarket. He was kicked, punched and worse. Paint was smeared in his eyes and he was left on a railway track to die.

Those of you who do not know this story will be shocked to hear that this was done by two pre-teen boys.

There 'punishment' for this is a new identity and home in Austrailia.

Now, could someone please explain to me what repulsive person gave these boys a second chance? When they so violently comminted this crime they were roughly (I dont know the exact age) 11 years old. Now, correct me if i'm wrong but when i was 11 years old i was quite clear on the difference between right and wrong. Weren't you? So why, now these boys are 18 have they not been punished?

A young boy (when i say young, i mean 3 years old) had his life stolen on that day. A mother lost her child. A grandparent lost her grandchild. A sister lost her brother.

Isn't it that we should treat other how we would like to be treated? Surely the answer to this question is Yes, therefore why have these disgusting people not been punished?

We are all intitled to our own opinions, do you agree with the courts decision?

News Flash

Friday night somebody got shot at Zuidplein. A 20 year old male to be precise.

Somebody woke up Friday morning and felt it his duty to take a life and destroy a family.

What made this man think that it was acceptable to do this? What could the victim have possibly done to deserve this sort of punishment?

I guess we will never know.

High speed chase..

..Well, not exactly.

Me and Jack were walking through Zuidplein Metro station when some guy in a white bommer jacket starts talking to me. Well, to be fair I think it looked very much like he was selling something (considering he had Chipkaart stamped all over his back, one would naturally presume they were advertising, well.. erm.. chipkaarts). Anyway, so I looked at him, stated that I don't speak Dutch and hurried on my way.

Oh.. its not over yet.. So me and Jack are very innocently waiting on the platform when 2 guys (in the white Chipkaart bommer jackets) turn up along with the 'Metro Police'

So they ramble on at Jack in Dutch, insist that He show them our strippenkaart to prove we have paid and then start rambling at me. (At this point I really have no idea what he is talking about and just pressume he is doing a routine check of all tickets.) Anyway, so Jack informs them that I am English and therefore do not speak Dutch. Too which the 'Metro Police' guy completely ignores. So I very innocently look straight at him , carefully pronouncing every letter and repeat what Jack had said previously (in English, of course) I DO NOT SPEAK DUTCH THEREFORE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Well at this he looked quite taken aback and continued on his merry way.

Well as it happens. The guy I mentioned earlier (the one in the white bommer jacket who I thought was trying to sell me something) actually happened to be a ticket inspector who of which I blatantly ignored and turned my back on. Him, therefore presuming we haven't paid, leading to the (not-so) high speed chase on the platform.

Leading me to my next point of people who blatantly ignore the obviouse. When I state that I do not speak or understand Dutch, I do not say this for the pure humour of the situation. It is, in fact, true. So please, please, if I ever come across you in the street and you proceed to talk to me in your mother tongue, after realising I do not understand you, do not continue to talk.

P.s. the guy at the metro station was not the only person to do this, it seems to be a habit of a select few.

Dove | Evolution

Surely you didn't fool yourself into believeing these woman woke up looking like a cover model did you?

Let your inner beauty shine through

Now, I am presuming that you have these same adverts in England and possible the States; you see, they really make me smile.

I don’t know about you but i really dislike the media and the image they portray about beauty.

To me, beauty is so much more than having a skeleton like figure and a gleaming white smile, (OK, so this may be a porky girl talking) but its true. OK so i would love to lose a few pounds, who doesn’t? But you know what? I am me. And actually, i quite like that fact.

The media is full of beautiful woman. Size 6 beautiful woman. But do they realise beautiful woman come in all shapes and sizes?

Well, as it happens. Dove do realise this. There advertising bilboards feature a number of beautiful woman. Curvatious beautiful woman.

How refreshing.

These Dove adverts are about inner (and quite obviously) outer beauty.

They prove that you do not have to fit into a size zero to be beautiful.

Make the most of what you have.

Let your inner beauty shine through.

I have posted an advert for Dove that i found on youtube.com

Yesterday got me thinking.

Last night I had a lengthy conversation with Ineke about accents and the way in which people (of all ages) present themselves with the way they speak.

You see, I just have an English accent. I don't have an accent from any particular part of England such as Birmingham or London or Bristol (Thank God). However, because of this I have grown up with the word 'Posh' thrown at me all the time. You see, the way I see it, I am not posh. I speak nicely. What is so wrong with that? Parents spend their life time trying to teach there children to pronounce there T in WaTer and so on. So why, when a child does this (i.e. Me) do I get the finger pointed at me for being the 'posh girl'. To be honest, it used to bother me when I was younger but as I have grown up and matured I have realised how nice it is to speak well. I am so grateful to my mother for bringing me up the way she did.

A few weeks back I took Morten and Caroline to an adventure playground down the road. There was a group of lads there who must have only been a couple of years older then Morten, maybe 9 or 10. The language that was coming out of there mouth was repulsive, not to mention the trail of spit they left behind them. If my children ever turn out the way those kids are you can forget 'Super Nanny', 'Orphanage' will be more the word.

NB Just to add.. Just because I speak nicely doe not make me a snob.

I Miss..

Having friends.

I was just looking at some Myspace pictures from my friends and it made me sad.

Don't get me wrong, I am lucky in so many ways, the opportunities I have had in the last few months don't happen to everyone. However, friends are important.

I miss going on big nights out with my friends and returning in the early hours of the morning. I miss having girly chats about stupid little things. I miss being able to pick up the phone and make last minute plans.

All I have here now is Jack. I mean, if I could pick only one person to have with me it would be him (apart from you Mum, your cool too.) so I am lucky in that aspect. However, it is tough. Jack has his own life too, his own friends, his own family. It can just be lonely sometimes.

I am not complaining. Please do not think that. I have a fantastic life, friends and family who love me and an amazing Jack who is there to pick me up when I fall. I have a fantastic job and live with a wonderful family. My life really isn't bad. Sometimes it is just a little lonely.

I guess I just haven't had a great number of opportunities to make friends.

There are a couple of aupairs at the school, Austin, but he leaves the end of the month and another girl who also leaves soon.

However, I am joining a gym on Friday, so hopefully could meet a few people there.

Most of this is down to the language barrier. It is just hard to get talking to people who don't speak your language. I mean, I speak a little (very little) Dutch and most people speak a little English, I just need to get over the fear factor of speaking what I know.

Also I am starting a Dutch language course in May so will hopefully meet a few nice people there..

Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

I just have to stress my disbelief..

There i was inocently browsing the internet when i came across this song.

I remember seeing them on 'The Sharon Osborne Show' a while back but seriously didn't think they would ever have a video!!

Thought i would share it with you, i really don't need to say much more other than they are named 'Fanny Pack' and the song is called 'Cameltoe'

Fannypack Music Video Codes

Now Playing: Fannypack - Cameltoe
Brought you by: Music Codes

What were they thinking?!

What exactly is it?

OK, I have felt the incredible need to write this post as over the last 2 days, yes just 2, I have come across a couple of people who are pretty obviously neither man nor woman.

First off..

I mentioned in my previous post the kids swimming teacher. OK so some of you may see this as a pretty harsh post to write, but frankly I don't care. I just don't understand why anyone would want to be one of those people that are looked at alongside the question "What exactly is it?" I mean come on, if your a swimming teacher, do you really have to be cruel enough to put the children through the embarrassment of saying Sir instead of Miss?? Ineke and I spent much time at the swimming pool deliberating over the person in question, no boobs.. no bum.. no erm.. bulge. So how exactly are we suppose to know? Well it looks like a man, it sounds like a man.. but oh no.. its a woman!! Whats that all about?!

OK, Secondly..

Tracy Chapman. Now you may think the name is a bit of a give away but I beg to differ. Now, have you ever listened to the song 'Fast Cars' if you have, then listen to it again, picturing a man singing it. Now listen to it a second time, picturing a woman. Come on, which is more believable?! Surely you can see how easy it is to mistake her for a man?? She doesn't even look like a woman!! (well to be fair I have only seen one picture of her, maybe it was taken in the wrong light or something).

Well basically my point is.. you don't have to have big boob, or a nice butt to look like a woman!! But please, please make yourself at least distinguishable to save Ineke and I the hassle of trying to work you out!!

My thought process..

OK, so I've been doing a lot of thinking recently. A few posts ago i wrote about not making new years resolutions but setting myself goals to achieve, as i think this is more do-able than giving up stuff i enjoy. Well i would like to update that and add..

• I want to learn more about the world and people around me, to appreciate the things i do have and stop dwelling on the things i don't.

There are so many of us that are wrapped up in our own worlds to actually look outside the window and realise what is happening beyond our four walls. I am the first to admit that!! We all have our own situations and confusions going on in our own lives, therefore why weigh ourselves down with extras!! Well, look at it this way. It may actually make you realise how kushti you have it.

I personally think Eastenders is great way of learning this lesson!! Don't get me wrong, i hate the programme, but look at it this way. You've had the worst day at work, you've got home and the dog has chewed on half the sofa, your boyfriends just dumped you and you think your life is over. You switch on the TV, watch an episode of Eastenders and realise, actually, my life is perfect after all.

I just want people to take a step back and look at there lives from an outsiders point of view. For example a working class family with not all that much money and 3 children, may spend the majority of there time worrying about the cost of living and the things that they don't have, but an outsider looking in, would see them as blessed to have 3 beautiful children.

I want people to appreciate the things in life they do have but take for granted and give up wishing they had more. I am not trying to say i am perfect, I am just like everyone else. I am the first to admit that i take for granted the things and people around me and don't realise how lucky i am to have such special people who love and care for me. Material things are not what is important. Money cannot buy happiness, just labels.

So.. I was thinking..

Well i was sitting in the car last night listening too Graham Torringtons Late Night Love (this was kinda hard to admit but i got there in the end.) and he was talking about new beginnings for a new year and stuff like that.

You see, there are so many people out there that make new years resolutions and just don't stick to them, me included. So I've finally decided that i think new years resolutions are pointless for that mere reason. HOWEVER. I have made a decision to set myself a goal, not necessarily at the beginning of a new year but at any particular point where my life seems a little boring!

I mean i have taken a huge step over the last 3 or 4 months in moving to The Netherlands but i have been totally relying on others to help me, if it wasn't for my Mum and Val i most definatley wouldn't be in Holland. Through there love, support and belief in me i have been able to do what i am doing, not to mention the financial support they have given me. Also Monique, if it wasn't for Jacks mum then i wouldn't have a roof over my head and a place to sleep at night. My friends and family have all been so encouraging to me, i really couldn't have asked for more support!! Jack has been my rock over the last few months, obviously we have had arguments and tough times, but who doesn't? we always end up laughing about it afterwards anyway. Being away from somebody really makes you realise how much they mean to you.

Anyway, now i feel like I'm at the Baftas or something!! so back to the point! My point is i am going to start setting myself goals, as although i have moved to Holland and (finally) found myself a job i have set myself no real goals to achieve. So for the time being (and until i have completed the following things) these will be my goals to achieve!!

• Firstly, I want to learn Dutch, i was never really any good at languages at school but it is so different when you actually live in that country, also if me and Jack get married someday i am really gonna have to understand the wedding!!


• I want to make at least 6 new friends in the next two months!! I know you English people must think that's easy but BELIEVE ME it is sooo not when you don't speak the language!!


• And finally (I'm struggling to think of this one but I'm trying!!) i want to try and get some more Independence, because all though i have moved to Holland, which of course is a very independent thing to do, i have been very much relying of Jacky for most things!!
  

So there you go!! My three goals to achieve asap!! Ill keep you posted!!

Until next time!!